To think dp is being an entitled arse?

[Beavie]

Opinions please! Me and dp had a row yesterday. He is a teacher and thinks it is massively unfair that he gets paid the same as a younger teacher with the same experience. He went into teaching late in life, he is nearly 40, and this is his first year after his nqt.

He was actually put up a pay scale by his last school because of his age, so he is getting more than he would if he was younger. But he seems to think that his masses of life experience should mean that he gets paid significantly more. His life experience mostly involves travelling around the world putting on raves, so not exactly relevant.

I told him it's his tough shit for arsing about for so long before studying. No?

he has kids to support, so that should be taken into account

Oh how you must have laughed.

YANBU. It did make me think, though, of the oft-repeated old saw that men are more likely to negotiate/demand higher pay and better raises than women because they just assume they're worth it. Not right in this case, but perhaps not a bad way to be generally.

Anyway, that's another thread!

"Another reason he gave was because he has kids to support, so that should be taken into account."

Oh good lord. So not only should we pay people who choose to have a few kids loads of child benefit/tax credits, they should also get paid more than people who choose to have kids only if and when they can afford them or not at all. Idiot.

He is a teacher and thinks it is massively unfair that he gets paid the same as a younger teacher with the same experience

Did he research his new career before plunging headlong? Did he not realise that teachers pay has been (up until this year) based on the period of time in the teaching profession?
And that from this year, achieving his performance management objectives will determine whether or not he is awarded a pay rise?

He's in for a shock in September!

Interestingly, in Germany, having some kids/ dependents and your age can and do contribute to how much salary you get as a teacher.
They are quite serious about bits of paper being the only way to tell if people were qualified to teach things too. My DH used to get driven up the wall as a teenager by his English teachers- the better teacher (an English native) wasn't allowed to teach the higher quals due to not having the correct bits of paper. Ziss left ze technishally ker-wally-fied (but shite) German-native to teach him A-level English equivalent. DH used to get marked down for "things he couldn't possibly know"- i.e. things not directly as written in the answers cribsheets the teacher was using.

To be fair, life experience and maturity can be of some value in teaching. Just the fact that dp has been around the world could be of use, for instance. But it's not 12K in value.

life experience and maturity can be of some value in teaching

I agree (some of the best teachers I know came into the profession late), but it shouldn't have come as a surprise to the OPs DP that teaching does not financially acknowledge that experience!

He probably realises he was being unreasonable, but some sort of reaction is usual after working bloody hard to get a job and it repeatedly hitting you that your reward is long term skintness.

It's stressful and he was being unreasonable - to be honest though the last thing you need to do is challenge him and tell him he's worth less than he thinks he is in that moment. Just going to make him feel worse and you aren't telling him anything he doesn't really know, or won't really come down and realise.

YANBU but really we all have moments where "tough shit loser" doesn't actually need saying til we've stopped freaking out. :)

He's being paid to be a teacher, not paid to be a old man under the impression he is somehow extra-special and interesting. What random qualities you possess is meaningless. If he went to be an accountant, they wouldn't pay him more if he happened to be an ex-circus acrobat and could entertain them all at parties.

There are many professions that desperately need to attract people. There is great value in employing somebody who is mature as what they have is life experience and maturity. That in itself is extremely valuable and benefits your teaching ability. They are crying out for decent teachers and of course if you only had the wage of say a 21 year old graduate who has no financial responsibility’s there would be a serious shortage of really brilliant teachers as no body would go into the profession beyond that age. I am working as an art teacher- I changed my career at the age of 35 if this had been the case then I would not have considered going into teaching. I have been judged on my performance as a teacher and my previous experience including back packing for three years, which is valuable experience it taught me more than anything else. I would be interested to know how many people who have commented so harshly are actually teachers or older then 25 so understand the financially burdens that come with age unless you just claim benefits.

Penis penis penis.

Didn't trade unions once campaign for a family man's wage (as a way of avoiding paying women equally)?

It's not about woman's lib. Does he has previous experience in the subject that he teaches? experience that should be considered. The same as an older woman training to become a midwife that was previously a midwife assistant for a number of years. (A friend of mine) who was paid accordingly taking into account all of her experience not just her midwifery degree. So What else did he do?. Life experience, previous experiences that are relevant to the role should be taken into consideration. That's not unreasonable.

He's being paid to be a teacher, not paid to be a old man under the impression he is somehow extra-special and interesting. What random qualities you possess is meaningless. If he went to be an accountant, they wouldn't pay him more if he happened to be an ex-circus acrobat and could entertain them all at parties.
Pffffffffffffft - this!

He is being so unreasonable and sounds pretty thick if he genuinely believes this. Definitely being an entitled arse!

What an idiot!

So did you go into teaching on 37k, rockingrobin, which is what the guy in question thinks he should get as a new teacher? If so, I'd be interested to know where was offering such money to newly qualified teachers.

I've not read the whole thread but up until this year there were clear pay scales based on the number of years you have been teaching.

I am 10 years older than my line manager, she gets paid more than me because she is more experienced than me, end of.

I'd love to be on 37k a year. However, 17 years in the profession and an SEN allowance don't get me that amount.

Unless he is in London, £37000 is a bit above what a classroom teacher who has gone through the threshold and progressed to Upper Pay Scale 3 can be paid - in other words more than any classroom teacher without extra responsibilities gets...He isn't just looking for a bit more to recognise his life experience ( ) but a completely different package! Didn't he research salary first?